Climbing Nature's Ladder

Allow me to start by saying this: Puerto Rico is awesome. Though the island is minuscule and a mere dot on the map, it has plenty of unique experiences to offer. There are urban areas accompanied by their suburbs, gorgeous beaches leading out to endless blue oceans, mountains decorated with trees, and there is even a lush rainforest full of life. It is easy for me to talk about how beautiful Puerto Rico is when friends ask, but I cannot fully appreciate the tropical beauty until I am standing face-to-face with it.

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of traveling into the mountains to my mom's uncle's house. It is tucked away in a land of higher altitudes and trees as far as the eye can see. Some delicious food was served, as usual, and we shared some very nice family time together. Once the mass amounts of food had settled in our stomachs, it was time to head over to a neighbor's house to check out the river. When we arrived, a short car ride later, I was taken aback by the living quarters of our hosts. They had a beautiful two story house surrounded by geese, ducks, chickens, roosters, cats, a dog, chicks, and two turkeys. They had fruit trees all around as well, but what was most stunning the lovely river, pictured above, that flowed right through their backyard. The fast flowing water fall surrounded by greenery kept a constant supply of cool water pouring into the pool that we could swim in. Drawn by it's beauty, I could not help but climb the rocky border that guided the water downward. Though it looked slippery, I was impressed with the support that I was given by the rocky "ladder". Each step was smooth and easy to climb, and there was always one to follow just like rungs on a real ladder. The climb was entertaining, surprisingly safe, and ended in triumph. On the way down I eagerly went quickly, and proceeded with no caution, knowing that I was supported and would not fall. Climbing nature's ladder just gave me one more thing to appreciate about the landscape of Puerto Rico.

After returning back to the land of mortals, I found that my cousins and siblings had engaged in a very intriguing game, the object of which was to knock down a coconut that was resting on the edge of the waterfall. Feeling triumphant from my mountain climb, I decided to join. After quickly analyzing the situation, I developed the game-winning strategy, but unfortunately, it was everyone's strategy. It went like this: Take the endless supply of rocks, large or small, and use them to hit the coconut and knock it into the waterfall so that it would flow down. We went at it and didn't let up one bit. My competitive spirit kept me going, no matter how long it would take to move the coconut. I was determined to get the coconut down before we left. I dispelled the fear of causing a ricochet that would kill someone, in turn getting me killed, and let the rocks fly full force. My cousin and I, both trained in the baseball arts, went rock for rock. We both would hit it but to no avail. I was forced into a state of urgency by the dreaded five minute warnings that I still happen to receive from my parents despite being a high school graduate. As the clocked ticked away, every stone became more precious. I knew the clock would move quickly since time flies when you're having fun, as they say. So, I changed my approach and started grabbing larger rocks because they would be more likely to move the coconut, which was heavily waterlogged. Throw after throw, miss after miss, minute after minute. Then, I grabbed a large rock in hand and clasped it with the most comfortable grip i could find. I washed any excess dirt away in the river and fixed my eyes upon the target. With perfect form, I let the rock fly and in that moment time slowed down. I watched as the rock assumed the desired flight path, and I knew another victory was mine. As the rock began it's decent I began to raise my arms in triumph like those basketball stars that know their buzzer beater is touching nothing but the net. THUMP! The coconut was hit and tumbled over into the waterfall. The water carried it the rest of the way down and in celebration I ran into the pool of water for my victory swim. That did not last very long because the water was chilly. When I returned back to a more comfortable water level my sister approached me with the coconut. She looked at me and said, "To the winner, his trophy."After all of that work, the the heavy, brown, and inedible coconut was a trophy indeed.